Oogway's Elemental
by Puckabrinaluver
Summary: The Elementals. Fire, Water, Metal, Wood, and Earth. Every 100,000 years, Five animals are chosen to represent these spirits, and earn their power. It is told that on the last choosing, one of the Elementals will be corrupted, and that another, more powerful Elemental would have to be chosen. But, for the first time the Yin and Yang Elementals will be chosen in that circle. TiPo
1. On the Night they Slept

**I always forget to put these up, but I remembered! Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. In this story, the only things I own are my original characters, the plot, and my random ramblings (as time goes on, you'll find me talking in authors notes more and more). Anything else is owned by DreamWorks. Please, I beg you, son't sue me if I forget to put these in some of my stories or chapters!**

It was the night after the defeat of Lord Shen. Most everyone was asleep, except a certain feline. Master Tigress of the Jade Palace. "Weird," She thought, "I actually feel rested." She walked down the narrow hallway of the Inn that they were staying at, and listened to the distant sound of Po's snoring. "How can they sleep all night?" Easily, they are tired, and not nocturnal. "Hm, I just answered myself." When she was asleep earlier, her dreams were riddled with nightmares about the panda, Po, whom she almost lost. Everyone thought he was dead, since he was blasted through a wall about seven stories up with the force of at least five charging bulls behind it.

She winced as she stepped down too hard on her right leg, which had a fracture from some of the boat pieces landing on it. She had also broke three ribs and sprained her wrist. She was overjoyed, though she tried not to show it, that it was the bona fide Dragon Warrior who showed up and declared that a panda stood between Shen and his destiny. She had hung onto every word he said, albeit her head hurt. Him coming back was all it took to take Shen's bravado away, and replace it with mickle frustration and terror, his face turning ashen.

Her ears twitched as she slid open the door to go outside. His snoring stopped. "Probably hungry," she reasoned, trying to forget how riley and rueful she had felt that morning, continuing out into the moonlit courtyard, past some debris that undoubtedly the Five and Po would have to clean up in the morning. She glided to an old plum yew to meditate under. She scanned the area around herself, making sure there were no unseen foes lurking in the night, and then sat under the tree. After a few moments, her eyes snapped open. "Who's there?" She asked coldly.

"Oh, hey Tigress. It's only me!" Po chuckled, coming around the tree into view. You could see the bruises that speckled his face, chest, and arms, and the more giant ones on his stomach. He had a slight concussion, nothing too serious, the doctor had assured them. She took in his sight and cringed. That would hurt in the morning. She patted the spot next to her, and he took the invitation.

"Thanks," he said, plopping down next to her. He winced "Never mind, it'll hurt _now._" She thought. He carefully crossed his legs.

"I thank any deity that helped keep us alive today," She told him before he could say anything.  
"Yeah, I have a couple of Gods I need to thank too." They sat in silence for a couple minutes.

"Have you talked to Master Shifu yet?" She looked at him, to find him looking at me expectantly.

"Um, no, was I suppose to?" Tigress didn't remember him asking for her presence.

"Oh, he probably didn't ask you yet then. He wants your side of the story. He already has mine, so I was just wonderin'," She watched him as he talked. "Gods, he is so interesting… just so- alive!" His movements were natural and ephemeral. He looked deep in thought, which is unusual for him, so she let him be until he looked pained.

"You want to talk about it?" she offered, turning her whole body towards him.

"Well, where should I start?" It was rhetorical, so she waited patiently for him to decide. "Mkay, so not only was Shen _there_ when my parents died, but he was the one who killed them," he started. She wasn't surprised, until he told her about the Soothsayer. In one of the dream/nightmare things she had had this morning, the Soothsayer had been talking to her, but she couldn't remember what she had said. "Weird," she thought, but then continued to listen to the rest of his story. She felt tears well up, as they had earlier, and fought them back. "He's not dead, he's right here," She chanted in her mind.

"I'm not sure why, but I'm not even sad anymore… Like I was at first," he said to her.

"You never knew them, they didn't raise you," she said simply, turning away.

"Yeah, but any normal person would be sad, wouldn't they?" He mused.

"At least you know what happened to your parents!" She said, uncontrollably, and then slapped a paw over hermuzzle. "I ACTUALLY SAID THAT!" Now that the words were out there, there was no taking them back, but she could apologize.

Po beat me to it. "I'm sorry." She blinked.

"Sorry for what? You have nothing to apologize for!"

"No, about what I said before. 'The Hardcore can't understand'. No, I feel stupid I ever said that. So, I am telling you as I see it now. You feel, probably a lot more than a lot of other people, in fact, but you are just really good at hiding it. It's not healthy at times, but you do it anyways." She felt shocked, and wasn't sure what to say to something like that. He didn't press her to respond, closing his eyes and doing what appeared to be meditating. Well, that is, until he started snoring. "He fell asleep?" It took all her self control not to burst out laughing. There's Po for ya!

She watched him for a while. Don't get her wrong, she tried to meditate, but it was impossible in the presence of him. He may be her best friend, but she was still a female, and she couldn't deny that he was sexy as hell.(All that training certainly had payed off, he was getting nice muscles instead of fat, he stopped eating just to eat, well, mostly, and he could actually keep up with me in a fight, though I always win still)

When she started thinking that way, she is not sure. It might have been when he defeated Tai Lung, which took courage and will power. His fighting was amazing, his personality was even _golder_ than gold, and he was good with children! She would go down to the Village once and a while with him, where he would tell stories and sing to the kids (his voice was amazing, too!) She was knocked out of her thoughts when she heard a voice whisper, "You're going to catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that." Her eyes widened and she twirled around, facing an elderly red panda.

"Master! W-where did you come from?" She blushed. He smiled.

"Calm down, Tigress, it's alright. I was just teasing. So, he told you his story, huh? He wouldn't even tell me the full thing. But, I would like to get your side of the story, if you would be so kind as to tell me…" She composed myself.  
"Um, yeah. Okay. But shouldn't we do this somewhere else? I mean, he deserves the rest, and I would hate to wake him," It was at that exact moment Po decided to roll over and land his head in her lap.

"You were saying?" Shifu asked, pointedly. She almost gave him the evil eye, but then thought better of it. She ignored the heat rising to her cheeks and asked:

"You know everything up to what point?"

"About the second time you all were in the jail. Po got a little bashful and didn't exactly tell me what happened there, but the rest was pretty clear. So, what happened from when you opened the doors and walked in?"

"Oh, of course I'd have to tell him," she thought bitterly. (She didn't know it, but he had already got the full story from Viper) She told him everything that had happened, being vague on what happened after we figured out what was bothering him (which he raised an eyebrow at, but didn't question out loud). She told him about finding Po in the factory, and then she managed to get out that he was shot through the wall, and apparently into a river, and that they were imprisoned by Shen, and the rest was history. When she was done, he nodded.

"Okay, thank you. You may continue on with staring at Po or whatever you were doing." She looked down at the panda, and was startled. She had started stroking his fur at some point. "How embarrassing! I didn't even feel it!" Of course she wouldn't. She couldn't feel anything. "Except… I could feel his warm paw encircling mine in the harbor." She didn't think anything of it, until now.

He shifted around in his sleep, and snuggled closer. "He's probably cold," She thought. She watched the sky for a couple hours, as the sun peaked over the distant mountains. It suddenly got warmer as the sun came all the way up, and finally tore the shade from them. The sun shone in Po's eyes, and he was awake.

"Morning," she told him. He squinted up at her. His face broke out into a grin.

"Hello…" His smiled faltered. "Wait. How did I..?" He sat up. "Whoops, sorry. Guess I was more tired than I thought! He, he..." She smiled right back at him.

"It's alright. I understand." Yesterday was a perfect example. It took all her willpower to make it to her room before she passed out. She was just lucky that she had made it to the bed. She almost fell asleep against Monkey and Po a few times.

He stretched out, and stood up, popping his back as he did so. She stood up too, they headed back to the Inn, and were met by the rest of the Five. They ate breakfast and went out to pick up debris and help out the villagers. Little did they know that they were on the brink of another battle, this time much bigger and much more would be at stake.


	2. A Vision?

**Man, it's been a hectic week! I went on a short vacation (pretty long for me, but for most people it is short, I guess) and when I came home, I had SOOOOO many things to do. So, I revised the first chapter a bit, so if you got confused about the switching of first person to third person point of view, then you can go read that now. I switched it all to third person. So, a lot of things are going to go down in this story, so I decided that if I feel that no one would get something unless they researched it (I researched a whole lotta things for this story, you would not BELIEVE some of the notes I have!), I will put an explanation at the bottom of the page. I am just going to go with all of them are Taoists in this story for it to make sense, so a lot of things are going to be brought up on that religion, and since it is not all that common in the US, I will make sure y'all understand. If any of that made any sense to anyone besides me….. ALSO! If you are a visitor, then I will reply to your comments up here. Oh, and if you find any mistakes in any of the chapters, go ahead to and tell me. M'kay? Good.**

**Question: What are some of the things WAYYYY overused in KFP fics nowadays?**

**Dear Sweetluckygirl, yeah. I am reading the Ender's Game, I'm having a hard time with switching, so I decided just to go one or the other. It's harder for me, but if it is easier for you guys, it's worth it. **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda. In this story, all I own are my OCs, the plot, and my random ramblings. I beg you, don't sue me!**

**AND: If you want to see the real summary of the story, then check my page in the next couple of days at the bottom where it says Upcoming Stories. If it says something like: In progress, then check back later. OKAY! ENOUGH OF ALL THAT!~~ **

**Tigress's POV**

"_Little did they know that they were on the brink of another battle, this time much bigger and much more would be at stake."_

"Goodbye," Po waved to a few kids that had hung onto him the whole time they had cleaned up the harbor.

"Goodbye!" they squealed back from the edge of the dock. I smiled a little bit, then turned and walked into the cabin on the boat. I didn't like water very much…

The other four were already down there, claiming spots to sleep in. I took one of the empty spots in between the wall and where Viper would coil up. Next to her was Mantis, then Crane, and then across from us would be Po and Monkey. I set up a little bamboo sleeping mat, and sat down in my spot, careful of my leg. It was hurting more today, because I refused the medicine, since it made me less aware of myself. My chest hurt a lot, too, so I focused on my breathing more than I did on whatever the others were talking about. I did watch, though, and I noticed Viper was staring at Crane. I cracked a smile. Usually Kung Fu Masters were not allowed to start a relationship, but Master Oogway never saw much point in denying the truth: If you put a bunch of young Masters closely together for years, these kinds of relationships happen.

Mantis and Monkey must have noticed, too, because Monkey pointed, and they both burst out laughing. 'In and out,' I thought, rolling my eyes at their reactions. Let them be!

Finally the boat started moving, rocking us back and forth with the current, and Po and Shifu joined us, Po sitting in the empty spot and Master Shifu staying in the doorway.

"You did great, Students. I think you handled the situation amazingly. There were a few complications, but you stopped Shen, and that is what matters. Like always, I will give you a few days off to rest up, but by next week I expect you all up bright and early in the morning to train. That is all," he finished. I was glad we got a few days off.

"Does he always do that when you guys come back from a mission?" Po asked, looking bewildered.

"Yes, he does," I answered. "And he usually lets us do whatever we please all day, even go outside the palace."

"Yeah! I get to go clubbing!" Mantis cheered. I rolled my eyes. We were _supposed _to rest up, and what does he want to do? Go pick up girls in a club. He'd probably bring Monkey with him, and possibly Po if he agreed to go. 'Which I hope he doesn't' I thought. It bothered me a little that I cared so much. I mean, I'm Tigress, right? Hardcore warrior, no feeling, no nothing. The truth is, I hated talking about my feelings, but I hate it even more when they implied that I didn't have them. It was a real blow to my soul when it was the loveable panda who had said so. Shaking the thoughts from my head, I concentrated on my breathing again, eventually falling asleep.

**Po's POV**

"Yeah, I get to go clubbing!" Mantis yelled! Monkey did a fist pump, and looked at me expectantly.

"I don't think I want to go this time, guys. You know, Inner Peace takes a lot outta ya and all…" The both looked at me like I grew an extra head.

"Are you sure? I mean, you usually always go with us…" I nodded.

"Just tired. I feel like resting the days we get off, is that okay?" They looked at each other, and then Mantis's lips thinned into a sly smile. He looked back at me.

"I'm sure Tigress would come with us if you asked nicely." I blinked once. Am I staring that much?

"Pashaw, I don't know what you're talking about. She's just my friend," I told him. Monkey got a devilish grin on his face.

"I don't remember him saying anything about you not being her friend." Oh, he got me there. I was going to cover up my mistake, but Viper beat me to it.

"Guys, shut up! Just leave the poor man alone! 'Sides, I bet if Tigress was still awake, she would have chopped off your tongues!" She wouldn't have done that, but it could have been pretty funny to watch her 'punish' them, though I didn't say so. Monkey and Mantis dropped the subject, but were instead talking about the 'moves' they were going to pull at the club.

Viper was talking to Crane, who was nodding, since he didn't talk much anyways, and I decided to write on the scroll that I had in the back of my bag. When Master Shifu first told me about Inner Peace about a month ago, before we learned about Lord Shen, I could barley could meditate. I wanted to think when it was quiet, and usually that would only happen during meditation time, or at night. Since meditation time would come first, I would always think of the day's events then, rather than meditate. But, when Shifu talked to me about it, he told me that it would be better on me and my soul if I used an hour before bed to go over the day's events, and that I would remember them later if I wrote it down.

So, I had started filling up scrolls with my awesome adventures with the Furious Five and Shifu, the days with my dad, and the missions we would go on. It also became my encyclopedia for everything Kung Fu. I started getting better at sketching weapons, armor, and Kung Fu moves. I was already pretty good at painting, since I made action figures all the time (Don't tell Tigress!). I found a quill in my bag, also, and a small jar of ink, and started writing:

_Another mission is over! We stopped Shen, and everything is fine now…. Mostly. But, let's begin at the, well, beginning. _

_When I wrote last, we were just entering the City, and since then I haven't had a chance to write down anything, since I left my pack on the boat (not to mention we didn't even have time to sleep!). When we got there, we knew we needed to get to the Palace- on the other side of the city. Remember the wolves that robbed the Music Village? We could have walked right through the city, if it hadn't been for the wolves. They were all over the place! _

_We decided to sneak through the city, so I got down low, and they went onto rooftops. I could have if I wanted to, but I knew that the houses probably wouldn't hold ALL of our weight combined. We went through the City, mostly unspotted, until we got under a huge dragon costume (it probably was going to be used for the festival that is coming up, the Double Seventh Festival, but now it has all sorts of holes in it!), and a sheep told us that Master's Ox and Croc were in the Gongmen Jail. I thought that they were 'Gathering intelligence and hatching a plot to take down Shen and save the City', but, sadly, that was not the case._

_ They were staying there by their own free will. I was excited when we first got to the jail, going up to the door in the cell they were staying in and wondering where the key was so that we could rescue Legends of Kung Fu. Tigress, always being the smarter and stronger of the two of us, just smashed down the door like NOTHING! It was so super cool! After a rather discouraging winning of a fight (YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT! I TOOK THEM DOWN!), a wolf came in and said that we would be taken down. He ran away after his comrades got taken out so easily, and thus a TOTALLY AWESOME high speed chase started!_

I drew the wolf that had led the attacks, and a picture of Master Thundering Rhino's hammer in the ground. It looked good, if I do say so myself.

I kept on writing about everything that happened, until I got to the part about The Soothsayer. I let the ink dry a bit, and then stuck the scroll, ink bottle, and quill in my travelers pack.

By then Monkey, Mantis, and Viper hit the sack, and Crane was working on some calligraphy. He looked up when I stood up, and gave me a questioning look. I smiled at him and shook my head. I'm alright.

When I got to the stairs, I looked back at the sleeping warriors. They all looked peaceful- save for Tigress. Her face was cringed up, as if she smelt something bad, and she was sort of pulling at her shirt and bandages, as if they bothered her.

"Maybe I should wake her up," I thought, then dismissed the idea. "She probably wouldn't want you to. Everyone has bad dreams." I continued walking through the door, and was met by a sunset that was beautiful beyond belief. Everything had seemed more beautiful in nature after gaining Inner Peace. The trees, the water, Tigress... No. Must dismiss such thoughts from my head.

I sat down in front of the crates I had sat infront of a few nights ago, and remembered the events that had taken place there. Eventually I relaxed, with a small smile on my face, and let my shoulders slump and my back rest against the crates.

_I looked around, confused. Wasn't I just on the boat? I was in the Jade Palace Scroll Room... And was not alone. The Furious Five were here, too. Shifu was standing infront of a few people, one of them was The Soothsayer. I looked at the person standing behind the Soothsayer, and was surprised to find that it was ME! I was watching the back of the figure next to the Soothsayer, a cheetah. He had slightly glowing white necklace on over a dark kimono, unusual for me to see in China. 'Must be from a different country,' I mused, watching him. Then a sudden movement came from next to him, and my eyes snapped to where a young wolf, much kinder looking than Shen's wolves, tripped over his kimono. The other me helped the blushing wolf up, and I noticed another figure in the room. She was standing slightly behind the Furious Five, and was wearing dark clothing, as well. It looked like she was uncomfortable with the situation, and immediately I was curious to what the situation exactly was. Shifu was mouthing words, but no sound came out. Only my breathing was to be heard. I tried to read his lips, but couldn't manage to do it. 'What a strange dream,' I thought, not making any sense of this. Suddenly, a voice penetrated the silence. _"Po?"

My eyes snapped open. "Huh?" I asked dumbly, looking around. Once I was sure I was on the boat again, I looked at the speaker.

"Hello, Master Shifu," I greeted, watching the red panda for any sign of annoyance or anger. Seeing none, I relaxed more.

"Hello, Dragon Warrior," He greeted back. He put his staff down to the side, and glanced at the spot next to me. I waited for him to sit down to see what he wanted. Once he was comfortably seated, I asked:

"How are you tonight?"

"I am well," he responded. Then, he returned the question.

"Alright, I guess. Well, except for the crazy dreams I've had. But, other than that, just peachy," I answered him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Crazy dreams?"

"Yeah. Almost felt like a vision, except that it hadn't ever happened, and I couldn't hear what anybody was saying. It was weird," I told him. His other eyebrow went up in surprise.

"Wait. Like a vision?" He questioned. I nodded, wondering what was so important. It had been a crazy dream- right? "I need to talk to someone." He hurried away, taking his staff with him. He turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

**Who is Shifu going to talk to? What is that crazy vision-like dream Po had? Why did Master Shifu _really _have Po start a journal? All these questions and WAY MORE are going to be answered very soon. Tell me if you see any spelling/grammer errors, and I will try to fix them. If something seems inconsistant, make sure to let me know. Kay? Sorry about my very terrible skills at updating when I say I will. Honestly? Whenever I start posting a multi-chapter story online, I always get better ideas for other stories, and everyone wants me to update that one and I'm just like GAH! I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO!, You know? Love ya all!**


	3. The Rain and The Fire

**Man, I have to admit, this chapter made me very happy. I was very pleased with myself for making it this cool! And I started only about two and a half hours ago, with numerous breaks in between! Who knew that Metal is the genre of music that gets my juices flowing? I recommend Ale Storm if you're interested, or DragonForce. They are too awesome. **

**Unknown POV**

I flew down the flight of stairs, taking three or four steps at a time. I was clutching my injured rib hard, trying to make the pain go away, in vain. My partner in crime was running next to me, keeping up easily. She was getting into the first aid kit that was kept in her bag at all times. It was pouring out here, so I had to concentrate on keeping my balance while being quick.

I spared a glance back as we got to the bottom of the outdoor stair case, and saw the boar and alligator that were chasing us up a few floors above us. We ran until we reached the end of town, and disappeared into the forest that skirted the backwater city.

We knew all the caves within ten miles of this place, and we picked one that we didn't usually use to duck into, as to mix it up. She had the wrapping for my wound ready when we settled down. She quickly stitched my wound with thread. It was a large hole in my side, made by a sword, and I knew it would hurt for a while. Not anything I haven't felt before.

We stayed quiet, as we usually did, and I started a fire. Her staff was shoved to the side, along with our bags. Once she was done tending to my wound, my partner slipped her black tunic over her head, that was soaked from the rain, and sat down next to me, not shy at all. I rolled my eyes at her, and deliberately didn't stare. I set our bag down, and pulled out my ink and a scroll. I had lost my quill somewhere, so I used my claw to write on the delicate paper. It was a painstaking process, but I eventually got the words on the scroll:

We have got your jewels back. I hope that you can keep them safe this time. If you require our assistance again, please look around. We'll be around.  
-Tai Lung.

I gave a low chuckle. Nobody seemed to make the connection that the Tai Lung who fought bad guys and stole back what was stolen is the same Tai Lung that went to Chorh-Gom Prison. Not that I would have either, but you think that someone might.

"Hey, Chang?" I asked. She 'hmmmd' in response, turning towards me. I have always loved her eyes. They changed colors with her emotions, and it made them interesting to watch. I studied them. Right now they were a blue-grey. They changed from bright blue when she was happy, to hazel when she was angry. I knew that blue-grey meant she wasn't really in a mood, but more of a neutral type of thing. We had been in our little business for about three years now, and she was one of the only people I trusted.

"Do you mind taking the jewels back to him tomorrow? I really don't want to get up early," I said, cheekily. She gave a small smirk and rolled her eyes.

"I think you should do it! I did it last time." I gave her a puppy dog face. She rolled her eyes again. "Keep doing that, and they'll stick like that." She stuck out her tongue.

"Fine, you big baby. I'll do it." I gave her a broad grin and she playfully pushed on my arm. I put the jewels in her bag and brought out our bed mats. I put hers on her lap, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and spread mine out on the floor. I laid down and went right to sleep, only waking up when she slid her mat next to mine and laid next to me for warmth.

**Tigress's Dreamscape, Tigress's POV**

It was dusty and foggy. My eyes stung, and I couldn't see five feet in front of me.

"Fire! Come here, now!" Someone commanded. I twisted my head where the voice was coming from, and was surprised to see a glowing light start to make it's way towards me.

"It's her!" Another voice yelled, excited. I think it was the glowing light. As it bounded closer, I started being able to see around me better. Then I realized, the thing running towards me- was fire! Intrigued, I reached out towards it. Right when we were about to meet, it disappeared. Suddenly I could see through the dust and fog.

There were five figures standing in a circle, a black bear, a leopard, a rhino, a bunny, and a gorilla. In the middle were two others, a dragon and a tiger, holding up what looked to be a goblet. They were all chanting, in a language I couldn't understand, and I could hear the low rumbling of distant thunder. They all looked towards the sky, fearfully. I tried to call out to ask what was going on, but found my voice didn't work. The sound came closer and closer, followed by lightning. It was moving way to quickly for it to be a regular storm.

I watched as it played out, and the gorilla broke his chant, yelling, "It is here!"

The black bear, which must have yelled earlier, shouted, "DO NOT BREAK YOUR CHANTING! It's the only way we can survive!" I was thoroughly frightened by now, and was watching in horror as down from the heavens descended a ghost army, all wielding staffs or katanas. Some also had swords and daggers on their sides and legs. There were red flags that were torn being waved, and a horn sounded. War cries were called, and there were drums being beat.

Just as I thought the living beings were done for, another army appeared. They came from the underworld, and for some odd reason were fighting for the living group.

"Maybe they're the bad guys, and I was rooting for the wrong team?" I thought. Then, a quote from Master Oogway came to mind. "The lines between good and bad are blurred far too much for there to be set 'good' and 'evil'. It just depends on what you believe in whether you are good or evil." So, which one is the good side to me? The living ones seemed to be protecting the cup for all they were worth. Both sides were going at it pretty hard, and I started rooting for the Underworldlings. Sure, they were using dirty tricks, but they making more pass out than actually killing them. Unlike the ones that came from the sky. They were killing mercilessly.

It was sickening to watch, knowing that I had killed like that before. They were leaping at each other, swinging weapons and fists. Bodies were colliding, and blood was spilt. The last of the dead ran towards each other to finish off each other, and then, the edges of my vision were consumed in fire, and it ate away at the picture until I was consumed in darkness.


	4. Sunrises and Sad Pasts

**Heyheyheyheyya!**

**Okay, so I will incorporate some things from the LoA, but only the things I find cool or very important for the story line. Junjie, Chao, and lots of others can kiss my furry little behind!**

**You know what's funny? The real story hasn't even started yet, just the things that get the gears turning! The next chapter will introduce new characters, so all will be good in the world!**

**Tigress's POV**

I woke with a start. It took years of training not to scream aloud. In my head was another story, though.  
"Ohmygods! What in the world just happened?!" It felt terrifyingly real. The aftertaste was kind of odd, though. Ancient. As if that actually happened, a long time ago.

I looked around. I found myself comforted when I saw Monkey cuddling up to his staff, Crane standing up in his usual position for sleeping, Viper coiled up next to me and heard Mantis snoring. There was something missing. And, I had a feeling I knew where I could find that missing piece.

I quickly looked around to make sure everyone was asleep, and hastily undid my vest, putting it in my bag. I grabbed the last clean one and slipped it on, buttoning it up faster than what should be possible. I set my bag where I was sleeping and walked to the door.

When I got out the door, there was a cool breeze. It felt good against me. Outside I could see it was nearly daybreak, and the sky was starting to get lighter and the moon was going down. We would arrive in the Valley of Peace today around noon. My eyes shifted around the small boat. I did a double take.

There he is. He was mostly hidden by the food crates that were being sent to the Valley of Peace. All I could see was a leg sticking out and an ear. I walked around the crates. He was facing East, and his eyes were glazed over from staring. I leaned onto the crates, and he jumped.

"You sneaky little tiger," he scolded mockingly. I smiled brightly down at him, showing my teeth. He took the hint and gulped. I let my smile slide off into a small frown.

"What were you doing out here?" I asked him. He gestured in front of him.

"Watchin' the sun rise. It's very soothing." Acceptable answer. I continued leaning on the crates for a half an hour with Po, watching the sun rise.

**KFPKFPKFP**

**Shifu's POV, about Forty years prior**

"I *hate* walking through the village," I muttered bitterly. A fellow warrior, also under Oogway's teaching, rolled his eyes at my aversion of the villagers staring, I knew he liked being treated like a deity. "We're in civvies!" I wanted to shout. "Leave us be!" But, I knew that would be disrespectful. It was true. We were both donning loose pants and tunics, all made of hemp. Like everyone else. We were just like everyone else...

Except we trained under Master Oogway, the most famous Kung Fu Master (Well... He would be, he invented Kung Fu, after all.)

It was warm out, and I still shivered. Something felt wrong. Master Oogway had told me that I worry too much, and sent Soo (a cheetah) and I to the Marketplace to get some ingredients for the palace chef. My eyes widened. I felt like I needed to throw up.

"Soo?" I asked. He turned away from waving to his adoring fans and turned to me. He looked concerned.

"Shifu? My man, you look terrible. Go back to the Palace, I'll finish up here." I was thankful. I ran to the worst part of town, where nobody would care who I was, sprinted into an alley way, and threw up. It was the most disgusting thing I had done in a long time, but after that I felt a little better. I wiped my mouth on the back of my sleeve, and looked up the stairs to the Jade Palace.

Suppressing the urge to throw up again, I walked back into the good part of town, and took the stairs two at a time, wanting to get to Oogway and see what was so wrong. I smelt something rotten when I got to the top. Bursting through the doors, I saw them: Assassins. Wolves. They were all dirty and rotten; looking as if they just walked all the way from another country, without any food or shelter. They were all really thin and some looked diseased. They were surrounding Master Oogway, and I knew that he wasn't worried about them by how relaxed he was. Didn't mean I wasn't.

"What business do you have here?" I snapped, immediately getting into defensive position. They didn't respond, instead breaking off into groups. There were about twenty of them, but five went towards the Palace behind Oogway, and and five went to the Valley leaving ten for us to handle. I fought off four, and six went and attacked Master Oogway. Punches were thrown, kicks were blocked, there were dodges and lots of cheap tricks, smoke bombs and the like. It pissed me off a lot.

There was a whistle, so high I nearly missed it, and all the wolves disappeared.

"Damn it!" I yelled, kicking one of the helmets that they left behind. Even the ones that we had taken out were gone, so we couldn't do an interrogation. I was seething. Master Oogway walked up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. (A/N, Okay, so a turtles 'hands' are really called feet, but wouldn't it sound weird if I were to say 'Master Oogway walked up behind me and placed a foot on my shoulder'? Just saying...) The urge to throw up came again, and it was too strong to even try and stop it.

After throwing up all over the courtyard, Master Oogway handed me a handkerchief.

"Thank you," I told him, wiping my face. "I hope that Soo is alright," I muttered. Master Oogway suddenly looked alarmed. "What is it?" I asked him, hoping that it had nothing to do with Soo.

"His spirit... it's gone." My heartbeats increased in speed.

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"His spirit... I can't find the source any more," he replied.

"Is he dead?" I demanded, forgetting my place for a moment. Oogway didn't seem to care.

"No, if he was dead I could sense him in the heavens. His spirit is just... Gone. The same way as Ke-Pa's demons were when I sealed them with My Hero's Chi." We shared a look, and promptly ran to and down the Thousand Steps. Me, being much younger, should have been faster than the Old Turtle, but when he got fast, boy, did he get fast! We raced down the Thousand Steps faster than we had ever before, but we were still too late when we got to the Market Place where Soo had been with me.

The villagers were picking up the mess that was left, and no one could look at the spot where a big puddle of blood was. I ran down to the puddle, and saw that it looked like he had died there, and someone moved his body. But he wasn't dead. I asked some of the villagers, and they all said somewhat of the same thing,

"The wolves never stood a chance against him. That is, until a bigger wolf came, and kept pounding him repeatedly, telling him he had a much larger destiny to fulfill than the one he was currently set on. Once everyone thought he was dead, there was a high pitched whistle, and they all disappeared, leaving only that puddle of blood and a mess." It was true. It took Oogway, the Palace staff, and I three hours to clean up. It would have been more if it hadn't been for a small fire that had erupted and destroyed five of the beat up carts. No one had been hurt, which I was thankful for, but I was still angry about Soo.

Though I knew I wasn't supposed to find him, I still looked for clues. I took scrolls of unsolved crimes from many villages yearly, only solving a few, but none were what I was looking for. Whenever I saw a wolf, I would observe them to see if they acted in the same manner as the other wolves, or if they had the same features as the ones who attacked. No luck.

Eventually, I started not being able to do it anymore. It just brought back too much pain. Oogway would always say, "Old friend, you are just worrying yourself to death. All is as it is meant to be, so please, just forgive yourself. Don't forget Soo, just forget the thought that it is your fault that this happened." It was that point that I would turn away, my ears drooping. He would usually drop all conversation afterwords, and leave me be- except once.

The one time he kept on talking I got mad, and he said that I should 'cool myself down'. It was a blizzard outside, so I walked to the front doors, wondering what the Old Turtle was getting at. I opened the Palace doors, and lo and behold, there sat a bundled up baby Snow Leopard. I quickly picked him up and took him inside. Oogway had smiled and welcomed Tai Lung to our family, and somehow, I knew he was destined for greatness.

**So... I just kind of pulled that out of my ass, didn't I?**

**Eh, whatever. I like the history behind it, so it works. Where do you think Soo went? Or, why do you think they were after Soo in the first place? Do you think because Shifu knew Tai Lung was destined for greatness that he thought that he would be the Dragon Warrior? So many things I answer in my dreams... But, all y'all have to wait. It sucks to be you~~~**


	5. Some New Faces

**So, in my mind, there are a couple of different types of animals. Humanoid and nonhumanoid. The humanoid one is the one that everyone knows from the KFP world, but the other ones are more like the animals in real life. I made it that way since some animals are not vegetarians, and because regular cart horses are needed for the story. Some of the nonhumaniod animals include: horses, small fish, flies, and gazelles.**

**Tai Lung's POV**

I woke up, cold. I could tell by the dim lighting in the cave, the fire having gone out a long time ago, that it was still night.

"Or very early in the morning," I thought bitterly, pulling a cloak out from the bag next to me. Chang was gone, as was her bag. "She must have gone to give the jewels back." The rain was done falling, and it was probably the lack of noise that woke me up. I snuggled into the cloak and dozed off until I heard someone enter the cave. I opened my eyes to reveal a very wet looking lion.

I burst out laughing at Chang, and her eye twitched. "What happened? Decide to take a bath in your clothes?" I teased in between fits of laughter.

"Yes, you smart ass," She said, sarcasm dripping with each word. She was still dripping wet when she came closer and dumped her bag on the floor, quickly followed by her weapons and shoes. Her clothes gave a wet 'slap' when she dropped down next to her bag.

"My stuff!" She groaned, grabbing everything out of the bag. There were a couple of outfits, some shurikens, a few smaller bags filled with knickknacks and her bed mat. All were soaked.

"It's a good thing I had the paper," I pointed out. She gave me the finger and started another fire to dry off near. I smirked and walked until I was behind her and sat down, since I didn't need the fire. She sighed and rung out her shirt, which was now in her paws."So, what did happen?"

"It was a scam," she answered. I blinked.

"Woah. You mean-"

"Yeah, the people who hired us to steal, hired us to steal from themselves. They were seeing if they could catch us. I barely managed to get away, by falling into a giant puddle that formed near the edge of the house. There was a bounty put on us in the community of the rich, since we were stealing all their stuff. Apparently, among the rich people," She gave an evil grin, one that showed off her sharp teeth. "We're worth a fortune!" She pulled out a bulging bag off of her belt.

"That's my girl," I told her, and her smile became devious. She turned towards me completely and gave me a kiss. She tasted like strawberries.

**Unknown POV**

"I wonder if they'll ever let me leave."

I lay on a bed, my butt against the wall and my legs up straight, almost touching a window above me. I usually laid like this when I was thinking, and, like now, I usually thought about the day I was 'captured'.

I had ran away from Lord Shen, leaving my pack in hopes that I could save them from his imprisonment. I ran and ran, past the Devil's Mouth and Tavan Bogd Mountains, and through a bamboo forest. It took a while, but I found eastern mountains, and wandered around, starving and chilled.

Eventually, I found a village. I had ran towards it, recognizing the smoke from fires, and the outside of farming land. There were horses tied to some of the trees, looking strong and healthy. There was a small stream that had some Rice Fish swimming around in it. I did a double take when I saw who inhabited the village. Pandas.

They immediately saw me and started panicking, of course. I would have, too. The Head of the Village, a panda who goes by the name of Cheng, came down from where he was meditating, and calmed them all down. The men still held pitch forks and hoes up to my neck, but the Head told them that I was obviously too young to have been a wolf that had attacked them many years ago. Though, they wouldn't discount the possibility that I was going to report their location to Shen, so they locked me up.

They knew I could easily get out, but I never attempted to leave. Even when the guards would fall asleep, I would stay in my cell. It wasn't like they were treating me badly. In fact, I got three meals a day, all delicious, and got to see sunlight through windows. After about three months, they'd let me walk about the Village with an escort. I made quite a lot of friends, but there were still a lot of pandas who wouldn't even look at me because of what Shen and the other wolves did.

Eventually, they had started letting me go to the scroll library to keep occupied. They mostly had old Kung Fu scrolls, but they suited my interest fine. I learned all about Master Oogway, a wise old turtle who had created Kung Fu for not only a battle tactic, but also an art to be used for good and prosperity. I learned all about the Valley of Peace, though I knew that these scrolls weren't as recent as ones they would have in the 'outside world', I wanted to visit the Valley. It sounded like a great place, and I could possibly find a life there.

"How long has he been sitting like that?" I heard one of the guards, Hong, ask.

Jian, his partner, replied with, "Hua has been like that for... about two hours now." I knew he had just checked the sun's position. I picked a piece of lint off of my light purple vest.

"Well," Hong started, walking into my open cell door, "Here's your lunch!" He was a nice fellow, and he was the one who would always cook my meals. I smiled and rolled to my side, falling off the bed.

"That hurt," I muttered. I had meant to catch myself, but that didn't really happen. Hong laughed at my clumsiness, and stuck out a large paw to help my up. I took it and got lifted off the ground. I am light, for a wolf at least. I dusted myself off and Hong set my food tray down. The aroma of dumplings hit my nose and I immediately knew good news was coming.

"What a weird feeling to have," I mused, sitting down. I had no idea how I knew that something good was going to happen, I just did. I chewed my food slowly, savoring the burst of flavors in my mouth.

Jian was silent, like usual, so I continued on thinking about my capturing. I had gotten all the stuff in my bag back, except my trusty weapon: my Jain **(not to be confused with the name 'Jian')**. I could understand that, so I didn't ask. I sipped on my bitter tea.

"Geez, they really need to get some sweet tea in here, I mean, I like bitter tea, but for months on end? Seriously." I must have spoken aloud (it happens a lot, actually), because Jian snorted.

"I hear you buddy," He told me. I blushed and ate the last of my dumplings, then went back to laying on my bed.

**KFPKFPKFP**

**The Next Day**

"Hey, Hua? You've got a visitor." My head snapped up from the scroll I was reading on Master Shifu, and turned to find Chong standing behind me, with the Head of the Village. I hastily got up and bowed, my nose almost touching my orange vest **(Yes, different colour. He has many different colours of vests. I find it funny because his name means 'flower') **

The Head gave a good natured chuckle, and said, "You needn't bow to me." I straightened up and glanced around the cell. Yep, messy. Great.

"Can I help you?" I asked, mentally praying that this was the good news I knew I would get. He smiled. It was bright, and real, unlike his smile he wore around the village. It was almost as if every time he saw someone, he was reminded of a bad past.

"I have a proposition for you. Jian, Chong? You are free to leave. I'm pretty sure that you won't need to come back here, either," Cheng dismissed. I raised an eyebrow, looking at the older panda.

"A proposition?" His smile became brighter.

"Once we're done, you can go wherever you please. The thing is, I found my Son. We just have to go across China to get to him. Think you're up to it?" I found myself excited.

"Across China? To where?"

"To the Valley of Peace. You may have never heard of it, but-" I accidentally cut him off.

"The Valley of Peace. No way! That is so awesome!" I quickly shut myself up when I realised I had interrupted him. He didn't seem to mind, however. He just nodded. But then I realised something. "How did you know your son is alive? And was he one of the ones presumed dead from the Attack?" He nodded at my last comment.

"Yes, I thought he was dead for the longest of times, but I had a vision of him. I recongnized the Palace he was in from one of my travels many years ago. I knew I needed to go and find him. I also knew that I needed to take someone with me. But, if Lord Shen were to capture one of the Villagers I swore to protect, then I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I figured I'd be safe with you, and you could leave your prison. So, what do you say? Want to be my partner?" I'll admit, it was really sudden. But, I heard the whispers of destiny telling me to go, so I answered:

"Sounds great. Shall I pack?"

**KFPKFPKFP**

**Unknown POV**

"I need to get to her! I promised I would!"

I followed the river bed. Water is what I knew. There was dust in my eyes, and I was starting to have doubt I would ever find who I was looking for. Or, at least the Valley of Peace, where she was. Heck, even the Village she was in! I might have already been in the Valley of Peace by now, for all I knew. Then, I saw a fork in the river.

"Which way should I go?" I questioned. Then a voice came from behind me.

"The place you're seeking is to the right." I twirled around, holding my hand to my heart. Behind me stood an old goat. She only came up to my chest in height, but she had a powerful prescence. Her eyes held wisdom and secrets. She was dressed in many layers of robes, all colourful and with individualized paterns.

"Wow! You scared me half to death! You sure are sneaky, you know that?" I laughed. She gave me a kind smile. I heard another voice.

"Soothsayer? Where did you go?" It called. Another figure came out of the woods to my right, and looked relieved when she saw the goat standing there. "Oh, good! I thought I had lost you! Not even _I_ can read your future, so you can't just go wandering about like that!"

The figure was a black panther, who looked to be about thirty, but looked just as wise as the 'Soothsayer' gal. She was wearing a regular tunic and a pair of slacks. I titled my head to the side. The panther looked at me, and gave me a bright smile. "Oh, hello young Shui! How are you doing this wonderful day?"

My eyes bulged out of my head. "How in the world do you know my name?" I demanded, taking a defensive posture. She laughed.

"Be calm, Shui. I am a fortune teller, I know many names of people I haven't met yet. Especially people with big and bright futures. My name is Rong, and this is the Soothsayer," she introduced, gesturing to the old goat. "And we are here to help you and the person you seek." I digested the information.

"So, to the right?" I checked. Rong nodded, and I took the right path. They walked behind me as I sped towards my goal. "Hold on Tigress, here I come," I muttered.


	6. Tai Lung's 'Escape'

**So... Did you guys miss me? I certainly have missed y'all. I'm sincerely sorry for the long break that I had, but my school work got overwhelming. I have a really hard art class that the teacher hates me in, and I have basically lost all my will to draw. :( On the plus side, I've been writing more TiPo stories, I just have yet to post them. Also: I have decided to switch up something from the last chapters. You know the POV thingies? Yeah, taking those away. I was reading a book that gave me a great idea for those. Then, I decided to make a short series of deleted scenes from this story, so once I post those you should read those and see how crappy and lovey-dovey this story was going to be before those certain scenes got d-xed. I'll let all my readers know once I have posted it. So, without further ado (MY NAME IS ADO!); the next chapter of Oogways Element**al:

The minute we docked, we were gone. Po, Viper, and Crane all went to see their families (Viper's and Crane's family always visited after we went on big outings like this). Monkey and Mantis went to visit their fangirls, leaving Shifu and I to do whatever we felt up to.

We both went back to the Palace, me not in the mood for a crowd. We walked next to each other in silence, and occasionally, Shifu would open his mouth, as if to say something, then close it without a peep. I grew confused as the silence continued. 'What if I did something wrong?' I wondered, watching him close his mouth again. 'No, he wouldn't be shy to correct me...' He looked away from the the top of the stairs to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. 'What if I did something *right*?' I shook my head to myself. I probably did, but it wasn't like he would tell me. He looked in front of himself, then down at his small feet.

"Is something wrong, Master?" He sighed, and I was amazed by out of character he was being.

"It's fine, Tigress. I just figured out I lost what I never even had." He didn't elaborate, and I didn't ask. Since I was tired, I decided to train at a later date, and instead go and study scrolls in the massive Scroll Library. Before I left, though, he told me:

"At about dinner time, we will have guests. Be sure to be somewhere near when they arrive." I bowed, signaling I understand. We parted ways after the main gate, me going toward aforementioned library, and him going to where he could be closest to his master.

**/This be a line breaker in disguise/**

It was dark. Frighteningly dark.

"Am I dead?" I wondered for the umpteenth time. Po had performed the Wuxi Fingerhold on me, and ever since then I have been standing here, in this darkness that was slowly taking my breath away, almost like being smothered with a pillow. Whenever I almost got used to the suffocating darkness, it would get worse.

"Maybe I'm dying really slowly." I mused. Then, there was a light. The shape of the light was unorthodox, so at first I couldn't figure out what I was looking at. Then I saw it. Master Oogway was standing in front of me, and when I realized who it was, the suffocating sense went away, and suddenly I could breath.

"I see you have made it, Young Warrior." I didn't know how to react. Should I be mad it him for not giving me the Dragon Scroll? I batted away that thought, as one might bat away an annoying bug or fly.

"It was never mine to begin with," I said, looking up at the Old Turtle.

"No, it wasn't," He agreed. "You have a different destiny to fulfill. That is, only if you wish to go back," he pointed behind me. I turned to follow the direction of his gaze, and noticed the Dragon Warrior, Po, was freaking out. Then, as if a barrier came down, I could suddenly hear him.

'-No! I didn't want to kill him! I should have known the Wuxi Finger hold was a bad ide-" I looked back behind me at Master Oogway.

"You can still change your ways... For, Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but-"

"Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present. I know that, as if you need to remind me." I told him, smiling a little. I didn't look back when I stepped back into the Valley.

"Oh shi-"

"Woah, language Dragon Warrior. What would your parents say?" I chided mockingly. Startled, he turned to face me, getting straight into a defensive stance.

"Where did you come from?" He squeaked, obviously scared at least a little. I raised up my paws in a sign of surrender.

"At peace, Dragon Warrior. I haven't came to hurt you."

"What do you mean? You were just barely fighting me!" he still hadn't dropped his stance. Not that I would have, either.

"I've learned something. The Dragon Warrior title means not a thing to me. I can be my own legend. So, how 'bout we be friends?" I asked, sticking out a paw for him to shake. He studied me, then stuck out his paw, and I gave him a smile. His lips thinned out into a wide grin, and he gripped my hand hard (probably not on purpose) and shook it vigorously. Then I realized something.

"Oh, crap. I need to go. If one of the villagers saw me, or," I shuddered, "Master Tigress, I'll be in a world of pain." He thought about it for a second.

"You're right!" He decided after careful consideration. "You have to get out of this village! Go through the forest and stay away from main pathways, so no one sees you." It sounded like a good enough plan for me, so I started walking towards the forest on the east side of the town, where there was little water so little pathways.

"I'll write to you once I know where I am going," I promised him, and he nodded, so I turned and started running. A couple of weeks later, I walked around a market place. There were lots of things being sold, everything from bamboo furniture to fresh peaches. I didn't have any money, so I just looked (Okay, maybe I stole ONE apple. But only one!).

I finally made it to the end of the carts, and down the street of Bui City. It might have been dumb luck, but I happened to glance down an alleyway, and there was a group surrounding a small pig. The pig looked frightened, and the group, consisting only of wolves, looked malicious. Later, I would learn these were Lord Shen's wolves, judging by the red eye on their armor, but at the moment, I knew I needed to help the pig out.

It helped when Oogway's voice came to my mind and said 'Today is a gift..' They were no match for me. And, not to brag, but I took them down so effortlessly that the pig didn't even notice my presence until it opened it's eyes again, and noticed all the wolves were down. He gasped, looking behind me, but it was too late.

I passed out once the hand hit a pressure point on my neck. When I woke up, I was on a comfortable bed roll, much like the ones at the Jade Palace, with herbal tea to my left and a lioness to my right. She had bright eyes that looked down at me, and her lips were curved barely enough to pass as a smile. She informed me that her name is Chang, and that she wanted me to help her.

I had protested at first, she had kidnapped me, afterall, but eventually I was hooked on the idea she had. She saw me knick the apple, and she had watched the fight with the bandits, so she wanted me to help her with her dream, which she told me over tea and rice cakes.

If you had gotten double-crossed, lied to, or stolen from, we would help out. Since she and I both hated large crowds, we kept mainly to ourselves. At first, of course, there was still secrets she kept from me, and me from her (like how I had kept good on my promise to contact Po with where I was staying. He would send the mail to a post office about ten minutes away from the village I was near most of the time, and I would send his mail to his dad's place, disguised as fanmail. We still haven't been caught).

But we never asked about sore subjects (like our families, for instance, stayed out of all discussions). I was older than her by five years, and naturally became the leader, though she could out best me in any competition, except strength. We had been a team for about two and a half years, and I trusted her more than anyone or anything. Even myself.

**KFPKFPKFP**

It had been a week and a half since he had last written, and I was getting anxious. I hated feeling anxious, since I usually associated it with a soldiers wife waiting for her husband to come home. And I am no soldiers' wife.

"Well, he has gone on a mission," I mused. "But, then again, they are usually back by now." Chang had asked what my problem was, though I only mumbled incoherent things back to her.

I ran to the post office everyday, and finally after two weeks I got a message. Po usually wrote things from his Kung Fu journal on these letters, since they had accurate accounts of what happened, so it was unusual when he was sort of shy when talking about what happened. Usually he would tell me every single detail, and sometimes my eyes almost bled. He talked about all the Five in usual detail, except one. Tigress.

I knew he had a crush on my adopted sister, but something must have happened with her that he wasn't too sure about sharing. I was really saddened to learn about my buddy's past, but he had told me not to worry about it, so I made sure not to put too lengthy of a 'sorry' when I wrote that I felt bad. He told me how he had fought with Master Ox and Croc, and I smiled. Those two were his idols (along with every other Kung Fu master in the history of Kung Fu. Especially Tigress.).

I sent back a letter, and knew it would reach him in a day or two at the most, then before four days are over, I'd get another letter. Like always, I had waited until Chang was away to read my letter, then burned it in a fire to keep it a secret. I jumped when a paw touched my shoulder. I was so engrossed in my thoughts I hadn't heard her come up behind me. I turned and gave her a smile, then realized I wasn't smiling at Chang.

The cheetah gave me a smile, and said, "I'm going to take you, now." He punched at me, but I dodged.

"You're not a very good fighter," I told him, noting how his stance sucked, and his punch wasn't even close to it's target (Or powerful). I could quickly end this, get Chang, send the Dragon Warrior a quick letter, then have him help me find a place to stay. First thing's first, though.

He went in for another swipe, and I uppercut his jaw. He growled, and swooped in again.

"So persistent," I muttered, kicking him in the side while his guard was down there. He gave a yelp. He returned with a kick of his own, and it was so sloppy that I could easily get my paw near his pressure points and press them in such a way that he would be paralyzed. It was too easy. He lay, frozen on the ground, and I grabbed everything that was strewn about the cave, and ran.

I didn't notice a gorilla enter the cave after me, muttering about his stupid boss not letting him intervene. I raced to the market, where Chang was buying (yes, buying) a few groceries, and once I had her in sight I put my arm out to the side. She was caught off guard when in the middle of purchasing some apples (definitely my favorite fruit), she was grabbed by the middle and hoisted off the ground and onto someone's shoulder. She nearly attacked me, until she looked down in surprise.

"Tai!" She hissed, relaxing only slightly. "What are you doing?" The villagers looked at me, mildly surprised, before shaking their head and turning away. I continued running, past the forest line, and through the trees with Chang on my shoulder. Once we were out of earshot of anyone, I told her through clenched teeth,

"Someone tried to kidnap me. They were terrible, but that might have been them underestimating my power, so they might be back with some stronger warriors to get me." She raised an eyebrow.

"That's a lot of mights. But, where are we going? Wouldn't they look at the next town first?" she asked. I nodded.

"I have to send a letter, then we'll get somewhere safe. It might take a couple of days, but we'll get out." The letter was simple, reading that in three days' time we would meet Po in the secret training area I knew he found out in the forest. I knew if anyone could help me, it was the person who could also destroy me.

**(After Po's strange vision on the ship)**

I walked swiftly to the back of the boat where I wouldn't be interrupted in what I was about to do. There were just some secrets my students couldn't know yet, and this was one of them.

I brought out some specific powders, some of which I restocked on at Gongmen, and located the person I was trying to contact. It was her choice whether she picks up or not. Of course, she chose to use her powders to have her end shown too.

"Master Shifu," The Soothsayer said warmly. She always knew when anyone was about to call, and was a master at bringing out her spices on the dot.

"Hello, Soothsayer. You know how I hate wasting powder, so if you don't mind could we cut to the chase?" I was only a little blunt. Just a little. If she was a surprised, she didn't show it. Then I looked back on that last thought. A Soothsayer, surprised. Only once in a lifetime that happened (And that would be the Soothsayer's lifetime, mind you).

She firmly nodded at my last question, a little less oblivious to my thoughts than she ought to be. "Go ahead, Shifu, tell me what's on your mind." I opened my mouth, then closed it, bitterly. Damn, can't seem to find the words, I thought.

"How about I just tell you what you won't ask?" She offered. I nodded, grateful.

"Yes, your daughter has been won over by the Warrior of Black and White, but no, she isn't going to leave you. She also loves you very much." It was almost a punch in the gut. "Also, I have to give you a warning. Company and I will be at the Jade Palace the dinner you all get back. I expect a warm welcome!" She said firmly. I laughed, but most of it was forced.

"I will make sure that is arranged," I promised. She nodded again, and her side disappeared. The reason we could do this was because of some sorcery cast upon all Masters of Kung Fu, my students included. You just have to know what to do to be able to contact other masters. We usually only use it if we don't know where a fellow Master is, or if a messenger goose has no possible way of getting to the location in time. So, in other words, very rarely.

I sat against the cabin of the boat, and tucked the powders back into my robe. "Well, that happened."

**\Ever get sick and tired of these? I do, but fanfiction . net won't let me put friggin -'s on the page to break it.\**

"He hit my face!" The gorilla winced when he un-paralyzed his Master. The cheetah, Jīn, was... kind of in love with himself. So when his 'perfect' face got damaged, someone was going to pay. And the gorilla, who had forgotten his name a long time ago, knew he would be the one to pay. His master turned to face him from his mirror.

"It's your fault! You should have protected me!" 'I thought maybe if you got defeated you'd let us do all your dirty work from now on, Master.' he thought bitterly. He hated that his Master got hurt.

"My lord, you told me not to help out, though. You said you could defeat him yourself!" It wasn't a lie. The gorilla didn't even flinch when the mirror got thrown at him.

**Thank's for reading! So, another thing: My email's been acting up, so I haven't seen your past reviews yet, but I'll thank you here, cool? If you have any questions you asked, I'll answer, but it might take a bit.  
THANK YOU VERY MUCH GUYS!**

**I was thinking of changing the chapter title to: 'In Which Shifu Catches Flies in his Mouth'. What you think?**


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